People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 512: Peace and prosperity

On December 24th of the twelfth year of the Qingli period of the Great Song Dynasty, envoys from neighboring countries had arrived in Kaifeng one after another since last month.

Although the weather was cold, it did not stop the people of Bianliang from being enthusiastic about the celebrations.

Because the imperial court found the lost imperial seal that had been lost for a hundred years, the whole country was celebrating, so the celebration originally scheduled for December 28 was held ahead of schedule.

After discussion in the court, the sacrificial ceremony was to be held on December 24th, and the New Year celebrations would begin on the 28th.

After that, the celebrations will continue until the third day of the first lunar month, the Holy Festival. From the third to the fifteenth day, the court celebrations will end, and it will basically be the folk celebrations from the Tiansheng Festival to the Lantern Festival.

After all, it would be extremely expensive for the imperial court to hold large-scale events, and they could basically only last for a few days. Most activities still had to be held spontaneously by the people, such as the New Year and Lantern Festival celebrations every year in the past, when the government was only responsible for maintaining order.

The reason why the 24th was chosen is that it is the Kitchen God Festival, also known as the Little New Year. This festival has existed since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was particularly grand during the Northern Song Dynasty.

According to the "Dongjing Menghualu", "On the twenty-fourth day of the lunar year, people in the capital invite monks and Taoists to read scriptures at night, prepare fruit and wine to send off the gods, and burn family money and paper. They post a stove horse on the stove and smear the stove door with wine dregs, which is called the drunk god of life. At night, they light a lamp under the bed, which is called illuminating the waste."

In addition, people offer gluey candies, also known as stove candies, in this month to stick the mouth of the Kitchen God so that he cannot say bad things. After sending the Kitchen God away on Xiaonian, people "welcome the Kitchen God" on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. After the evening of the 30th day, the New Year is not considered to have arrived until the first day of the New Year.

In the early morning of the 24th, all the markets and streets in Bianliang were decorated with lights and decorations. Many Bianliang people were strolling around the streets, buying New Year's goods. There were also a large number of foreigners walking around, looking around curiously.

In the past few days, the foreign envoys needed to focus on business, discussing cooperation and trade with the Song Dynasty court. In addition to arms trade, many other trade contracts were also discussed.

The orders for handicrafts and industrial products such as tea, silk, ironware, porcelain, clothing, books, pencils, paper, and sugar combined were no less than those for arms.

Now that the Song Dynasty is increasingly upgrading its regional industrialization and entering the era of electrification, the Ru Kiln, one of the five official kilns of the Song Dynasty, now uses electricity to make the turntable rotate rapidly, making it more convenient for craftsmen to mold and carve.

In factories, some manufacturing assembly lines also began to transition from the steam engine era to the electrification era. Many steel processing plants and textile factories that engaged in screw driving gradually introduced electricity.

Therefore, there are not many industries that still retain traditional handmade manufacturing.

Either they are commodities like tea, which are difficult to industrialize in production and production, or they are industries like silk and porcelain, which can only be produced with a small amount of industry and most of the time still require manual labor.

It is no wonder that Britain was the first to complete the Industrial Revolution and sold its products all over the world, but was always strangled by the Qing Dynasty in tea, silk and porcelain.

Crafts such as growing tea, raising silkworms, making porcelain, frying tea, reeling silk, and carving cannot be easily completed by machines.

Early in the morning of the 24th, the streets of the outer and inner cities of Bianliang began to become gradually congested, with workers going to work, street vendors, and people buying New Year's goods on the streets coming in an endless stream.

"Tanghulu, sweet and crispy Tanghulu, made with the best white sugar."

"Steel pot, a good pot, made in Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant."

"Towels, face towels, and toothbrushes. New Year, new beginnings. Let's buy some toiletries."

The sounds of vendors shouting were endless.

There was little white sugar in the Song Dynasty, because there were many impurities and sediments in ancient sugar, resulting in mostly black sugar or brown sugar being produced.

It was not until the Southern Song Dynasty that a sugar maker accidentally discovered the "yellow mud water-leaching decolorization method". This method was recorded in the "Sugar Frosting Spectrum" of the Southern Song Dynasty and was eventually widely used in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

In recent years, the Song Dynasty has planted a large amount of sugar cane in the Philippines, Vietnam, Hainan, Guangzhou and other places, and introduced sugar beets from Middle Eastern merchants. Through industrial extraction and the decolorization and impurity removal methods developed by the School of Chemistry, white sugar is widely produced.

As a result, in the past two years, the people of the Song Dynasty have finally been able to enjoy sugar products without impurities.

Although the production capacity of sugar beets is not high and sucrose has a certain production capacity, it is still unable to be promoted nationwide because it can only be grown in subtropical and tropical areas. As a result, the price of sugar products is still slightly high and cannot benefit every household in the Song Dynasty.

However, this is already a good start. Once sugar beets are promoted nationwide and sugar factories are built in large numbers, it is only a matter of time before sugar products benefit the entire country.

As for various kitchen utensils and daily necessities, they are not actually produced by Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant or Bianliang Textile Plant. As the largest steel plant and textile plant in the Song Dynasty, these two companies mainly produce raw materials, namely steel and cloth.

Pots, pans, towels, clothes and other things are made by processing plants. They buy raw materials from two large factories and then carry out secondary processing, which is also a good ecological development.

The streets were crowded with people, and many people were heading towards the square outside Xuande Gate.

There was a flag-raising ceremony in the early morning. At the end of the morning, which was 8:30, there was already a large number of officials waiting in the square outside Xuande Gate, wearing traditional court robes.

Now many officials have followed suit. After the Constitutional Yuan and various ministries changed into Zhongshan suits or youth suits, they rarely wear official uniforms to work.

However, on this important occasion, one still has to wear court robes used for grand sacrifices to show the importance of the sacrifice.

In addition to them, there were also envoys from various countries standing alone in the square on the right.

The others are the descendants of the Zhao clan.

After all, this time the ceremony was to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao, which was considered as a worship of ancestors, so quite a few people came.

A little further away, there were more than a dozen middle-aged men wearing Confucian robes, some wearing glasses, and some holding pencils and notebooks. At first glance, they looked like some cultural figures.

Ouyang Xiu, who was among the officials, seemed to be very familiar with them and even went over to greet them before the event started.

The schedule of this event is also very simple.

Sacrifices are held in the Taimiao on the 24th, grand celebrations are held on the 28th, a grand military review and awarding of military ranks are held on the 29th, and New Year celebrations are held from the 30th to the first day of the New Year.

The original location of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was on Taimiao Street, east of the Secretariat in the southeast corner of the imperial city.

But later, when the imperial city was expanded and Taimiao Street was included, Zhao Zhen proposed to rebuild the Taimiao. So a magnificent complex of buildings was built in the southeast corner of the imperial city, probably in the area of ​​the original Panlou in Bianliang.

The specific location is on the east side of the current Changqing Palace.

Soon, as the last quarter of the morning arrived, the gates of the three palaces of Xuande Gate opened, and Wang Shouzhong on the gate tower announced the decree: "Your Majesty has ordered a sacrifice in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

"Let's go."

Zhao Jun, who was at the front of the procession of officials, lifted up his loose purple official uniform of the first rank. The lack of two wings on the crown of his court dress made him look even more heroic.

In the cold winter wind, all the officials and members of the diplomatic corps did not feel cold.

The thick cotton clothes inside blocked out the cold wind.

Hundreds of officials lined up in a queue and, led by the prime ministers of the Constitutional Council, slowly entered the palace gate.

At this moment, Zhao Zhen's convoy was already waiting for them in the palace.

After everyone arrived, Zhao Zhen and Queen Cao sat in a large carriage pulled by eight horses. The carriage was bigger than several beds, magnificent and golden, full of dignity and splendor.

Under the envious eyes of kings of some neighboring countries, the carriage took everyone through Changqing Palace and arrived at the Taimiao in the southeast corner of the imperial city.

This is still a larger square.

The square is paved with marble, with a monument in the center that reads: In memory of the national heroes and warriors who shed blood and fought for the Han Chinese.

Originally it should have been written "Great Song Dynasty", but Zhao Jun strongly opposed it and it was finally changed to "Monument to the Heroes of the Chinese Nation".

When they reached the monument, the team stopped.

Zhao Zhen got off the car, and the ceremonial guards on both sides immediately walked to the front of the monument.

The Minister of Rites stood aside with flowers in his hands.

In front of the stele were placed grains, livestock, incense burners and other sacrificial items.

Zhao Zhen walked to the monument, took the flowers, and followed by prime ministers such as Zhao Jun, walking towards the monument step by step.

Then the band next to them began to play a grand piece of music, and the surrounding civil and military officials as well as more than 60 kings and envoys from all over the world watched this scene.

When the middle-aged men in Confucian robes saw Zhao Zhen holding flowers and walking towards the monument, they all took out notebooks and began to write words on them with pencils:

"On December 24, the 12th year of the Qingli calendar, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty laid flowers at the Monument to the Heroes of the Chinese Nation in the square in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

"The monument tower is about five meters high and consists of five parts: the base, the pedestal, the tower, the tower body, and the bronze statue."

"The bronze statue is 17 feet high and about 8 feet wide. It consists of two statues: a young general holding a ring-headed sword in his hand and a warhorse under his crotch. It represents an ancient general fighting hard. Some people once said that its prototype was the champion marquis Huo Qubing."

Those people moved their pens on the paper and quickly wrote a draft. Some masters even sketched on the spot, depicting the scene of Zhao Zhen holding flowers and offering them to the monument.

Zhao Jun walked over curiously and took a look, then walked back to his own prime minister's formation and said to Fan Zhongyan beside him: "These newspaper people are really talented."

“You’ve selected all of them.”

Fan Zhongyan smiled.

Zhao Jun also smiled but said nothing.

In order to control public opinion, the Song Dynasty court still exercised strict control over this aspect.

First, we must grasp the direction of public opinion and make public opinion a sharp arrow in the hands of the Song Dynasty, providing the people and intellectuals with correct guidance.

Secondly, it is also to prevent some people from inciting. It would be bad if domestic rebels used public opinion to deal with the court.

So over the years, these newspaper staff have developed their skills and know what to write and what not to write when writing newspapers.

Soon, with the sound of two salutes, Zhao Zhen's flower-presenting ceremony ended and the music also came to an end.

Zhao Zhen returned to the carriage and it set off again towards the Taimiao.

The entire Taimiao is divided into three parts: the Monument Square, the Taimiao and the altar.

The morning sacrificial activities naturally start with the monument, then the Taimiao, and finally the sacrifices to God and the heaven and earth.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the group arrived in front of the Taimiao.

Zhao Zhen got off the carriage again. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Rites, everyone filed in. However, no matter how big the Taimiao was, it could not accommodate so many people, so only some people were allowed in.

Even among the Zhao clan, only some close relatives were allowed to enter.

There were about fifty or sixty people. Although Zhao Jun was from a very distant ethnic group thousands of years later, as the prime minister, he was naturally qualified to enter. This was his first time coming to the Taimiao after it was built. He saw that it was magnificent and tall, with shelves on both sides filled with incense and candles, and a huge tripod in the middle filled with sandalwood.

And right in the center of the hall, there is actually a statue. It is the statue of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin. It is an old man with a wealthy face and a goatee on his chin. His eyes are looking down like Buddha, full of sacredness.

After all, only 76 years had passed from the era of Zhao Kuangyin to the era of Zhao Zhen. Although most people who had seen Zhao Kuangyin in person were no longer alive, the royal family still preserved his portrait, so it was still easy to create such a sculpture.

But next to the statue of Zhao Kuangyin there is another statue, also of an old man with a wealthy face. If you look closely, he looks a bit like the statue of Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Jun curled his lips. That was a sculpture of Zhao Guangyi, the god of war riding a donkey cart. Below Zhao Guangyi was the statue of Zhao Heng, the Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

This scene is eye-catching.

Zhao Jun didn't expect that Zhao Zhen had smuggled something with him.

The sculpture of his grandfather was placed next to that of Zhao Kuangyin.

If Zhao Kuangyin really appeared, wouldn't he kick his brother who stole the throne from his son?

As a direct descendant of Zhao Kuangyin, I really can't bear to see such an eye-catching scene.

However, during the sacrifice, the statue of Zhao Guangyi has to be moved to the left and right.

Putting aside other things, even if Zhao Guangyi did not do those shameful things.

But in terms of rank, how could the subsequent emperors be qualified to stand with the founding emperor?
In the Tang Dynasty’s Taimiao, Li Shimin didn’t even have the courage to have his tablet placed alongside Li Yuan’s.

"Incense!"

After the Minister of Rites finished his long and smelly sacrificial text, he lit it and placed it in the giant tripod.

Zhao Zhen then stepped forward and lit incense for his ancestors.

Then he recited the sacrificial text.

The whole sacrificial process is actually very boring. It involves reciting sacrificial texts, lighting incense and burning it to ancestors, telling them how well one is living. It is similar to the Qingming incense-burning process.

However, the recitation of the sacrificial text took a very long time, and everyone was busy in the Taimiao for nearly half an hour before the ceremony finally ended.

After the sacrifices to heaven and earth were completed, it was already noon.

After the morning activities were over, everyone could not leave as a grand banquet would be held in Changqing Palace.

This time was different from the last time when many envoys were entertained at a banquet. This was a banquet to celebrate the New Year's Eve. It was much more grand and magnificent than the last time, with hundreds of banquet tables alone.

Then there were singing and dancing performances and music that never stopped. From the small square outside Changqing Palace to the continuous palace complex, there were singing and dancing everywhere, bands everywhere, and officials eating and drinking everywhere.

Living a life of drunkenness and dreams is like a feast of bliss.

The banquet didn't end until the end of the afternoon, but it was just an end. The highlight of the day's activities was in the evening.

Not long after returning home, all the civil and military officials, envoys, royal family members and reporters took another bath, changed their clothes, fumigated themselves with fragrant sachets, and entered the palace again at the beginning of the evening.

At this moment, the area around Xuande Gate Square really started to get lively. Street lights all over the city were turned on, lanterns were hung high, and people were surging like a tide.

By the end of the evening, the area outside Xuande Gate had become a sea, with people cheering and singing.

"Long live, long live, long live!"

"With the blessing of the government, the Song Dynasty will continue to prosper!"

"The country is peaceful and the people are prosperous, and we will enjoy eternal peace!"

The people outside shouted and waved their hands high.

When Zhao Zhen saw that the time had come, he walked to the microphone and said loudly, "I am Zhao Zhen."

"Official, it's the official who's speaking!"

"In the past, during the New Year celebrations, at most I could see the official standing on the city wall from a distance, but today I actually heard the official's voice."

"Long live the official family!"

The people became excited again at this moment.

Strictly speaking, the Great Song Festival is held once a year, on the 30th day of the year and the first day of the new year.

During these two days, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty would stand on the Xuande Gate or Donghua Gate to hold celebrations and enjoy himself with the people.

However, the imperial city was a forbidden area and was far away. The common people could only see countless figures from afar and could not tell who was the emperor and who was the minister.

However, at this moment, although they were still far away, they could clearly hear Zhao Zhen's voice, which was already shocking.

Zhao Zhen held the manuscript in his hand and continued, "The New Year is approaching. I wish the people of the Great Song Dynasty peace and prosperity, and great happiness!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

The loud cheers grew louder and louder.

"In the new year, I hope that everyone in our Song Dynasty can live and work in peace and contentment, and that the people can live a prosperous and healthy life."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"I have a dream. May our Song Dynasty be peaceful forever, may the Chinese people continue to be strong, and may our country prosper!"

"Ooo ...!"

Almost every time Zhao Zhen spoke, there was a burst of warm cheers from below.

Zhao Zhen finally said loudly: "Now I declare that the New Year celebration of the 13th year of Qingli officially begins!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa"

The sound of something flying into the sky was heard from the direction of the palace.

Hundreds of fireworks shot straight into the sky and bloomed in the night sky. The brilliant fireworks ignited the climax of the entire celebration at this moment.

"Dong dong dong dong!"

The sound of gongs and drums was deafening.

The city gate below opened, and many Kabuki girls walked out to the square. Music played and they performed graceful dances.

Soon after, various dragon dances, lion dances, acrobatics and other activities were performed outside for the people.

For a while.

In the distance, on the Imperial Street outside Xuande Gate, the cheers of the huge crowds also reached a peak, and the people's voices surged like a tsunami.

When Zhao Zhen finished his speech on the city wall above, there was thunderous applause.

Only Zhao Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked to Zhao Jun, and whispered: "Grandson, how is it, my speech is not bad, right?"

"It's OK, but the voice is a little shaky."

Zhao Jun clapped his hands while staring straight down.

There were continuous fireworks outside, singing and dancing, and people all over the city were celebrating.

Even for those poor families, Kaifeng Prefecture would provide warmth and assistance every year to help them get out of poverty and become rich.

In this era, Zhao Jun is already trying his best to do better.

Zhao Zhen smiled bitterly and said, "After all, this is my first time speaking in front of hundreds of thousands of people. I am a little nervous."

"It's already very good. I'll have to get used to it slowly in the future."

Zhao Jun smiled.

"Grandson."

After listening to his words, Zhao Zhen stood on the city wall and looked out into the distance.

"Ok?"

“I’m actually very touched.”

"How to say?"

Zhao Jun looked at him in surprise and suddenly found tears in the corners of Zhao Zhen's eyes.

Zhao Zhen wiped his eyes with the corner of his wide clothes, and said with a smile while crying: "If it weren't for you, I would never have seen this scene in my life."

"That's true, but don't forget your own contributions. If it were another emperor, even if I were there, you would never see him in your lifetime."

"Hahahahahaha."

The grandparents and grandchildren looked at each other and smiled knowingly, their faces shining brightly.

When Zhao Jun arrived, the Song Dynasty was in tatters and in ruins.

More than ten years have passed, and not only are the mountains and rivers safe, but the country is also peaceful and the people are safe, and the country is in a prosperous and peaceful era.

Without Zhao Zhen's wholehearted trust, there would be no Song Dynasty as it is today.

(End of this chapter)